How it Happened: Florida Gators win 20th SEC game of the season

Jac Caglianone saved his best outing for the final regular season game of the year. The sophomore pitcher hurled seven shutout innings — and went 1-3 with a walk and run scored at the plate — in a 5-2 win over Kentucky.

The Gators finished the season with a 20-10 conference record. Florida is waiting on the result of Arkansas and Vanderbilt. If the ‘Dores hold on to win Saturday, the Gators will share the 2023 SEC Championship with the Razorbacks.

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SCORE: Florida 5 Kentucky 2

9th inning

J. Nove to p for L. Martin.

Riopelle singled through the left side (2-2 KBBK).

S. Chavez to p for J. Nove.

Shelnut struck out swinging (1-2 BKSS); Riopelle out at second c to 2b, caught stealing.

Heyman homered to center field, RBI (2-1 BKB).

Thomas struck out looking (2-2 KBFBFK).

UF Inning Summary: 1 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB

Neely to p for Abner.

Pitre struck out looking (0-2 KFFK).

Burkes doubled to left center, ground-rule (2-2 FFBB).

Burkes advanced to third on a passed ball.

Church flied out to rf, SF, RBI (3-2 BBBKS); D. Burkes scored, unearned.

Felker out at first 1b to p (1-1 KB).

UK Inning Summary: 1 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB

8th inning

L. Martin to p for E. Byers.

Kurland hit by pitch (0-1 F).

Langford flied out to rf (2-1 KBB).

Caglianone out at first p to 2b to 1b (0-0); Kurland advanced to second.

Rivera struck out swinging (3-2 BBSBFS).

UF Inning Summary: 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors, 1 LOB

Caglianone to dh.

Abner to p.

Smith homered down the rf line, RBI (1-2 KSB).

Gray grounded out to p (1-2 BFFF).

Waldschmidt struck out looking (1-2 BSFK).

Gilliam grounded out to 2b (2-2 FBSFB).

UK Inning Summary: 1 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB

7th inning

Caglianone walked (3-1 BBSBB).

Caglianone stole second.

J. Rivera grounded out to c, SAC, bunt (1-1 FB); Caglianone advanced to third.

Riopelle flied out to lf, SF, RBI (0-0); Caglianone scored.

Shelnut singled to shortstop, advanced to second on a throwing error by ss (0-2 KF).

Heyman singled to center field, RBI (1-0 B); Shelnut scored, unearned.

E. Byers to p for A Strickland.

Thomas pinch hit for Halter.

Thomas homered to right center, 2 RBI (1-2 KFB); Heyman scored.

Robertson popped up to 2b (0-2 KS).

UF Inning Summary: 4 Runs, 3 Hits, 1 Errors, 0 LOB

Thomas to 3b.

Church singled up the middle (1-2 FSBF).

Felker lined out to rf (0-0).

McCoy grounded into double play ss to 2b to 1b (2-1 FBB); R. Church out on the play.

UK Inning Summary: 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB

6th inning

Robertson struck out swinging (0-2 FKFS).

Kurland grounded out to 2b (1-0 B).

Langford struck out swinging (1-2 BKSS).

UF Inning Summary: 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB

Gilliam struck out swinging (0-2 KFS).

Pitre struck out looking (2-2 BFBKK).

Burkes flied out to rf (0-0).

UK Inning Summary: 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB

5th inning

Shelnut flied out to lf (2-0 BB).

Heyman struck out swinging (1-2 FSBS).

Halter grounded out to 2b (0-0).

UF Inning Summary: 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB

Felker grounded out to 3b (0-1 K).

McCoy singled through the left side (3-2 KBBFB).

McCoy out at second c to 2b, caught stealing.

Smith walked (3-2 KSBBFBB).

Gray singled to second base (3-2 BBBKK); G. Smith advanced to second.

Waldschmidt fielder’s choice (1-1 SB); J. Gray advanced to second; G. Smith out at third 3b unassisted.

UK Inning Summary: 0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors, 2 LOB

4th inning

Langford grounded out to ss (3-2 BBBKK).

Caglianone hit by pitch (3-2 BFBKB).

Caglianone stole second.

Rivera popped up to 1b (3-2 BKSBB).

Riopelle struck out looking (3-2 BBSFBK).

UF Inning Summary: 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors, 1 LOB

Gilliam walked (3-1 BFBBB).

Pitre popped up to p, bunt (0-1 F); H. Gilliam advanced to second on a throwing error by p.

Burkes struck out swinging (1-2 BSKS).

Church struck out swinging (1-2 FKFBFS).

UK Inning Summary: 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 1 Errors, 1 LOB

3rd inning

Halter struck out swinging (1-2 SBSFS).

Robertson struck out looking (0-2 KSK).

Robertson struck out looking (0-2 KSK).

Kurland grounded out to ss (1-1 BK).

UF Inning Summary: 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB

Smith flied out to rf (2-0 BB).

Gray struck out swinging (0-2 SFS).

Waldschmidt flied out to rf (1-0 B).

UK Inning Summary: 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB

2nd inning

Riopelle grounded out to p (3-1 KBBB).

Shelnut grounded out to ss (0-0).

Heyman grounded out to ss (0-2 KF).

UF Inning Summary: 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB

Burkes doubled down the lf line (2-0 BB).

Church struck out swinging (1-2 FSBS).

Burkes stole third.

Felker reached on a fielder’s choice, bunt (2-1 BSB); D. Burkes out at home p to 1b.

McCoy struck out swinging (0-2 FFS).

UK Inning Summary: 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors, 1 LOB

1st inning

Kurland lined out to 2b (0-2 KF).

Langford struck out looking (1-2 KSBFK).

Rivera popped up to 2b (0-0).

UF Inning Summary: 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors, 1 LOB

Gray struck out looking (2-2 BBKKK).

Waldschmidt flied out to cf (2-2 KBKB).

Gilliam walked (3-1 BBKBB).

Pitre grounded out to ss (0-2 KF).

UK Inning Summary: 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors, 1 LOB

Lineups

Florida

2B Cade Kurland

LF Wyatt Langford

SP/DH Jac Caglianone

SS Josh Rivera

C BT Riopelle

RF Tyler Shelnut

1B Luke Heyman

3B Colby Halter

CF Michael Robertson

SP: Jac Caglianone

Kentucky

CF Jackson Gray

LF Ryan Waldschmidt

1B Hunter Gilliam

2B Emilien Pitre

C Devin Burke

DH Reuben Church

3B Jase Felker

RF James McCoy

SS Grant Smith

SP: Austin Strickland

SEC Scenarios

1:00 PM ET: LSU vs Georgia

2:00 PM ET Florida vs Kentucky

3:00 PM ET Arkansas vs Vanderbilt

Florida

• Shares SEC Championship
  • UF wins, Arkansas and LSU lose (UF 20-10, Arkansas 20-10, LSU 19-10)

Arkansas

• Wins SEC Championship Outright
  • Beats Vanderbilt (Arkansas 21-9)
  • Loses to Vanderbilt and UF and LSU lose (20-10, LSU 19-10, UF 19-11)
• Shares SEC Championship
  • UF wins, Arkansas and LSU lose (UF 20-10, Arkansas 20-10, LSU 19-10)

LSU

• Wins SEC Championship Outright
  • LSU and Vanderbilt win (LSU 20-9, Arkansas 20-10, Florida 20-10)

Notes

NOTABLES

• Sproat eclipsed 100 strikeouts in a season for the first time in his career.
  • Sproat and Hurston Waldrep became the ninth 100-strikeout duo in program history, and the first since Jackson Kowar (115) and Brady Singer (114) accomplished the feat in 2018.
• Langford swatted his 15th home run of the season in the first inning and his 16th in the sixth, moving past Cade Kurland for the second-most jacks on the team behind Caglianone (28).
  • Langford recorded his eighth-career multi-homer game.
• Caglianone extended his program home run record to 28 big flies with a two-run shot in the third.
• Sproat struck out the side in 10 pitches in the second inning – just one pitch shy of an immaculate inning.
• Florida has struck out 550 batters in 459 innings – translating to 10.8 per nine innings, which would mark a new program record.
• The Gators have 543 hits through 54 games (10.1 hits/game).
• The Gators have scored in 46.3% of batted innings (201 of 434).
• Florida is now 147-72-1 all-time vs. Kentucky including 63-39-1 in Lexington.
  • The Gators are 26-21 in the series under O’Sullivan featuring a 12-11 mark on the road.